Columbia University has announced the 2013 Pulitzer Prize winners for photography. The prize for Breaking News Photography was awarded to jointly to Rodrigo Abd, Manu Brabo, Narciso Contreras, Khalil Hamra and Muhammed Muheisen of the Associated Press, for their coverage of the conflict in Syria.
Also nominated as finalists in this category were: The Denver Post Staff for its skillful coverage of the mass shooting at a theater in Aurora, Colo., capturing the scope of the tragedy in a poignant portfolio of pictures; and Tyler Hicks of The New York Times for his powerful pictures chronicling deadly destruction in Gaza following a retaliatory bombing by Israel.
The winner in the Feature Photography category is Javier Manzano, a freelance photograher, for his ‘extraordinary picture’ of two Syrian rebel soldiers illuminated by beams of light streaming through bullet holes. The annual awards include a cash prize of US$10,000. Information on this year’s awards and the winning photographs can be found on the Pulitzer Prizes site.
Javier Manzano is a Mexican-born photojournalist based in Turkey. A former United States resident, he worked for the Rocky Mountain News in Denver until the paper closed down in 2009. Since then has worked as a freelancer covering wars in in Mexico, Afghanistan and Syria.
Also nominated as finalists in this category were: Liz O. Baylen of the Los Angeles Times for her intimate essay, shot in shadowy black and white, documenting the shattered lives of people entangled in prescription drug abuse; and Renee C. Byer of The Sacramento (CA) Bee for her heartwarming photographs of a grandfather raising three grandchildren after the violent death of his daughter and the loss of his wife to cancer.
